Montgomery, Alabama - Ivan Louis Slavich, IV, (age 22) of Auburn, Alabama, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for three counts of trafficking marijuana and a single count of carrying and discharging a firearm during the course of one of his drug trafficking offenses, announced George L. Beck, Jr., United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.

The Indictment charges Slavich in Counts One and Two with distributing marijuana in Lee County on February 29, 2012 and April 10, 2012. The Indictment further charges in Count Three that on April 12, 2012, Slavich possessed marijuana with the intent to distribute. Count Four charges Slavich with discharging his firearm in furtherance of the marijuana trafficking that is charged in Count Three.

United States Attorney George L. Beck, Jr. stated, “Trafficking in narcotics by its very nature constitutes a threat to the safety of law enforcement and to the public at large. Of course, the danger of such drug dealing increases exponentially in circumstances where drug dealers demonstrate are willing to use firearms to further their drug dealing. It is particularly dangerous in cases such as this one where the drug dealer actually discharges a firearm. Such activity will not be tolerated, and where appropriate, will be aggressively pursued by our office.”

The investigation of this case was spearheaded by the officers of Auburn Police Department with the assistance of the Opelika Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Brandon K. Essig.